Experience

Detroit’s chief of police says the number of homicides in the city in 2017 was the lowest in more than 50 years. The Detroit News cites James Craig as saying there were 267 homicides in Michigan’s largest city last year. That would be the fewest number of homicides since 1966, when there were 214.

In Detroit, a partnership between law enforcement, church leaders, and community members is working to stop the gunfire between some of the city’s worst gangs. In one part of the city, Operation Ceasefire has cut shootings by 40%. The program is designed to target a key group of trigger pullers: gang members responsible for most of the violence in the city.

How It Works and How Similar Programs May Benefit Your District

2012 was not a kind year for the city of Detroit. Bankruptcy proceedings for the city were looming, its former mayor was on trial in federal court on racketeering charges, an interim police chief was in charge, and there was a real possibility that to satisfy debts the masterpieces in the Detroit Institute of Art would be sold. To make matters worse, 2012 saw the highest homicide rate the city had endured in twenty years. According to FBI and Detroit Police Department statistics, there were 386 homicides—a rate of 55 homicides per 100,000 residents. In addition, there were 1,263 non-fatal shootings in the city. Days after the finalization of those numbers, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, Barbara McQuade, convened numerous law enforcement leaders from around the district and Michigan to discuss what to do about the untenable violence.

Nine more alleged members of the notorious 6 Mile Chedda Grove street gang have been charged in a December 2015 shooting on Detroit’s east side that killed two and injured a child and teenager, U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade said Tuesday. The new charges bring to 117 the number of alleged gang members who have been arrested over four years during a multi-agency crackdown on violent street gangs in Detroit.

ARISE Detroit! will be part of the new Detroit One anti-crime campaign, soon to be officially launched by Barbara McQuade, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan. In a recent meeting more than 50 community leaders, including Detroit Mayor Dave Bing, McQuade demonstrated that she is serious about orchestrating a dramatic reduction in murders and shootings in Detroit.

Last month, Mayor Bing, U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade and other law enforcement and community leaders announced a collaborative initiative among law enforcement agencies, residents and community leaders to reduce violent crimes in the city. The program is called Detroit One. The overall goal is to reduce gun-related violent crimes by 25 percent this year.

Detroit Mayor Dave Bing and federal, state and local law enforcement officials said a new pilot program to prevent violent crime is paying off with fewer crimes and several successful raids to seize weapons and drugs. The Detroit One program, which concentrates law enforcement efforts in the most crime-riddled areas of the city, reported no violent crimes were committed in two targeted areas: the northwest and northeast neighborhoods.

It’s not a unique approach, but one that has not been fully utilized in Detroit: Collaboration.
We’re coming for you,” said Detroit Mayor Dave Bing at the unveiling of Detroit One Thursday, “a violent crime reduction initiative,” at the Northwest Activities Center in Detroit Thursday.